Common Ground
by samirant
Summary: So what if your boyfriend is your complete opposite? Surely you can figure it out - his lips make the effort easier, though, now don't they? BrightHannah One-Shot, Spoilers to End of 3rd Season


Common Ground

Hannah didn't regret having her first kiss with Topher Cole. If anything, Hannah was pleased to be a part of the masses for once: her first kiss was absolutely awful, but memorable. It was proof, really, that she was growing up the same way as almost every other teenager and was able to fade in among them. It's not like she'd been able to claim that often in the years past. And she really couldn't disregard just how eager and sweet Topher had been. So, no, she didn't regret it. Hannah could make amends with the 'bad first kiss' experience.

Especially when Bright Abbot was kissing her _at this very moment._

They were supposed to be watching a movie. That was the excuse they'd come up with to stay at his apartment… alone… at night. In her heart of hearts, Hannah swore to herself that watching Office Space with Bright was good alone time, time to discover more about each other in this coupledom they'd encountered and find a common ground.

Oh, heck, her heart of hearts may have thought that, but her libido was the one squealing with happiness at the moment.

Somewhere in the background, Jennifer Aniston was arguing with that annoying coworker of hers (his excessive happiness reminded her oddly of Topher), but the sound faded as Bright leaned into her. His mouth, well, he was doing wonderful things with his mouth. Hannah was trying to respond as best she could, but her glasses were digging into the bridge of her nose and she was terribly aware of Bright's hand, warm against her back even through her t-shirt.

Her eyes snapped open as his _other _hand started wandering lazily around her left thigh. His eyes were closed and, well, she thought he looked like he was enjoying himself, but her glasses were askew and it was really hard to tell. When Bright's head moved one way, she leaned to the other, knowing from their recent – far more restrained – kisses that this was the best way to go.

_Hannah, close your eyes!_

She immediately shut them in order to shut up the little voice. It was the one that told her that liking Bright back after he'd told her how he felt was a good idea and hadn't it been right? He had liked her, did like her and, _oh, is that his tongue?_

Hannah definitely liked him back.

…but his tongue was just freaking her out.

"Bright, wait," Hannah said, rather breathlessly. She leaned her head back, the only part of the body she could move seeing as Bright had her trapped against the back of the couch. "Wait."

He must have realized then how she was more-or-less trapped against his sofa. Grinning with a mixture of bashfulness and, well, a fair amount of greed, Bright shifted away from her. But he didn't move his hand.

Breathing in deeply, Hannah shook her head a bit and it caused her glasses to be worse off than before. She couldn't help blushing deeply when Bright fixed them for her (_But why is his other hand still on your thigh? Is he going to move it? Do you want him to?)._

"Hey," he said simply.

"Hi," croaked Hannah, her blush intensifying.

He gave her an odd look. "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Hannah stammered. "Just… you know… recovering."

She finished weakly and he smiled that beautiful smile at her.

"You are so cute," he said, leaning in and pecking her on the lips. She didn't respond, not for lack of trying, but more for the fact that her mind was asking: why? She was? When did he get so comfortable saying that when she couldn't even tell him he was sexy-

_Oh, God_.

_Yes, he is._

_I know he is, but give me a… oh, geez. He just is._

"I'm doomed," she whispered.

Confusion quickly washed over his face. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." Inching away now, Hannah smiled slightly at him. Bright looked more puzzled than ever and followed her over, hand to thigh the entire time. She scooted over some more. And he scooted in after her.

"Hannah? Seriously." Bright squeezed her thigh (_Oh, God… again._) "What's wrong?"

"Could you, um," she asked, in a strangled sort of voice, and pointed in the general direction of his hand. When he looked down and then lifted his eyes back to hers, his face reflected general surprise as if he were saying, 'Hmm, how'd that get down there?"

It took a second for it to process but the way Bright's hand yanked from her leg as if she'd burned him made Hannah figure that he got the point.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"No, it's fine," she echoed. Energy that had been waylaid by her first… whatever they'd just done, was starting to go from her fingertips to her toes and the only way she could offset it was to stand. And pace. Bright's eyes followed her the entire time.

"I-" Hannah began, and then abruptly stopped. She looked at Bright with what she could only describe as pure, utter, pathetic desperation.

"You…" Bright encouraged.

"I'm supposed to be enjoying this," Hannah blurted out.

She was immediately horrified by the way his face fell. "I didn't mean-"

"You're not… enjoying it?" Bright asked slowly, his voice wounded.

Hannah covered her face with her hands. Only she (_Only you_, said the little voice) could screw this up even more. "In the history of things coming out wrong, that had to be in the top five, right up there with Marie Antoinette saying everyone should have cake."

Bright's still sounded injured, but he carefully asked, "Then could you explain to me, because I have no idea what's going on."

"I-I…" Hannah dropped her hands, but didn't catch his eye. In fact, she looked everywhere she could but straight at him. "I… maybe… I…. oh, God I don't know."

"Hannah," Bright stood and walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Hannah, just tell me, okay?"

"Why would you want such a horrible girlfriend? Because that's what I am: a horrible, horrible girlfriend." The words tumbled out of her mouth. "I can't even kiss you without my mind going everywhere, wondering why you're tilting this way and why my glasses can't just disappear or if your hand is going to move somewhere I don't want it to-"

Hannah stopped short and looked up at him. Though he appeared perplexed at first, Bright began to nod understandably.

"Oh," was all he said.

"Oh?" She asked weakly. When he pressed his lips together and got a thoughtful look in his eye, her mind started to go at a frantic speed. "You're going to break up with me, aren't you? Y-you can't stand having a girlfriend who can't kiss or, I don't know, needs shock therapy so she sit still while you're-"

And then Bright began to laugh.

_He's laughing at you. See? You should have ignored that stupid little voice. Stupid, senseless Hannah, you should have known this would crash and burn-_

And then he was kissing her again. And that senseless, stupid little voice went with it.

Her arms went around his waist without her knowledge and her fingers clutched at his shirt. Bright's hands moved slowly from her shoulders, down to her forearms and then circled around her back. When his head tilted one way, she didn't even have to think about moving the other – it was natural to do it, simple.

After a long minute of this, Bright carefully broke away from her and it took her a couple of seconds to realize she should really open her eyes.

He was smiling at her. "You're not a horrible girlfriend."

"I'm not?" The croaking voice was back, darn it.

"No," he said reassuringly, as his fingers came up and played with a long curl of her hair. "But I do need to slow down."

"Um, well, this is perfectly nice," Hannah stammered.

Bright went on as if he didn't hear her, "I guess I was so used to… I don't know, just other kinds of girls, but with you…"

He trailed off, still playing with her hair. Hannah waited for him to continue, but he looked lost in his thoughts.

"But with me what?"

"You know," he said, looking down. "I'm not exactly a virgin. Or anywhere close to that."

Hannah's back stiffened. Well, of course she'd known that, she wasn't stupid for Heaven's sake. But for him, _her_ Bright, to say it out loud was a completely different matter. Hannah slowly moved back. "Yeah."

"And that's the way relationships go," Bright said, dropping her hair so she could step away. "Warp speed, straight away, Bright Abbot style."

"Right."

"And judging by the monotone, monosyllable responses, you're doing some serious rethinking," Bright said, a bit dryly and with a fair amount of regret.

Though only moments before they'd been sharing what had to be one of the world's most stunning kisses, Hannah couldn't bring herself to close the two foot gap between them. Bright was folding his arms against his chest and she mimicked him, considering the quick change of emotions in the room. The turnover was ridiculous.

"I just… I know about all that, Bright," Hannah said hesitantly. "But you know what I think about that or at least you should."

"What if I don't?" He asked her quietly, his impatient streak showing just a little.

Hannah bit her lip and didn't respond for a while. The sound of a stapler clicked from the television set, clear through the silence that was between them.

Finally, she tried to explain, "Bright, I'm… you know where my beliefs lie when it comes to that."

He only nodded in response.

"And… and I can't… I won't sleep with you," she finished carefully. When his mouth dropped open in shock, she quickly added, "I'm waiting for when I'm married, not because I'm scared of it – though, I mean, the thought is terrifying – but I really think it should be kept within those bonds.

"Y-you," Bright stuttered, "You think I wanted to sleep with you?"

Hannah reeled back, "Don't you? Oh, no, I mean… oh, I'm really screwing this up, aren't I?"

Bright stared at her. She stared back.

"Hannah, I meant I didn't know what you thought of me being so," he looked incredibly uncomfortable saying it, "experienced."

She blinked once. Twice.

Yep, he was definitely still there.

"I see."

Her feet were moving without her permission again and they carried her directly back to the couch. Dropping down heavily, Hannah rubbed at her eyes and thought hard. When she felt ready (but not really), she said, "Bright-"

"Look," he interrupted her. "I know you're probably rethinking this whole thing now, but I need you to know that I don't want that from you… right now. I mean, I'm a guy, and guys think along those lines, like, ninety percent of the time." He paused. "Maybe ninety-five percent."

"Bright-"

"But you're different and I like that you're different," he continued. "I want to get to know you a-and I already do know you some, which makes a hell of a difference for me. And… and you mean a lot to me."

He came over and sat next to her. "You mean more to me than anyone I've ever dated and I think it's because we were friends first, because I want to stay your friend, even while I'm your boyfriend."

Bright stopped and looked at her expectantly. He looked at her with such sweet, eager, lovely expectancy. Despite the fact that a speech that had already detailed itself in her mind, Hannah decided to do something entirely different.

She kissed him.

As she leaned in, the realization came to mind that this was the first time she'd taken the initiative with him. Every single time before, even when they'd sat on this very couch earlier, it had always been Bright doing the moving in. However, Bright didn't seem to care at all that she'd turned the tables on him, but instead responded enthusiastically.

_OK, scratch that, _this _is the most stunning kiss in the world._

When they finally came up for air – somehow her hands had found his cheek and shoulder, though she couldn't guess how – Hannah said, "I don't care."

Bright pulled away a little. "What?"

"About all that," Hannah brushed her thumb against his cheekbone. "The past is the past. It'd be wrong of me to judge you for it and I… I really don't care. We're all different now, aren't we? From a year ago, from yesterday?"

His hand rose and copied her movements against her face. "I guess so," he murmured.

"But I do need to take it slowly," she said quietly. "And I will have my… limits."

"Limits," Bright repeated. "Limits, okay."

"Okay," Hannah whispered.

Bright laughed a little breathlessly, "It's going to be har- uh, difficult sometimes."

She grinned at him, "Then we'll work it out."

"Working it out sounds good to me." It was funny how relieved he looked.

Hannah started to lean into him again, but Bright stopped her and plucked off her glasses. Seeing the questioning look in her eyes, he answered, "We both know you really don't need them right now."

"I guess not," she agreed.

"Nope," he said in an undertone. But almost immediately after Bright dropped the glasses on the table, his hand landed on her leg. Acting on pure instinct, Hannah slapped lightly at it, causing Bright to tug it away and smile at her. "See? That works."

He moved his palm up to her side, where its heat was instant. "Better?"

Hannah bit her lip and pretended to contemplate it, but didn't last very long. Right before their lips met again and all thoughts definitely disappeared, she answered, "Much better."

Ya Acabo

A/N: …because I'm definitely feeling the Bright/Hannah love. Don't own Everwood, don't know or own the actors, just own the plot here. (Also: What the hell is Hannah's last name?)

Please review, I love 'em.


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